Ash

He picked up a handful. It was natural, he kept telling himself. No need to get emotional over it. He tried to think of the millions of oxygen atoms snapping perfectly into place on the carbon-filled pieces of paper. Yes, it was the most natural thing in the world.

But alas, his scientific brain had failed to comprehend the power of that which was invisible. Not everything can be burnt away. The ash leaked through his trembling fingers and drifted away in the summer breeze.